Little Susy's Little Servants Part 6

"Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile."

"The tongue of the just is as choice silver."

"Whose keepeth his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles."

"He that telleth lies shall not tarry in My sight."

"As soon as you learn to write, my dear Susy, I will make a little book in which you can write all that the Bible says about this. You will be astonished to find how much there is about speaking the truth, speaking kindly, and speaking wisely. And of our dear Saviour it says that when his enemies reviled him, "as a lamb before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not His mouth." Now the next time you see Thomas, I think it likely he will say a good many things to vex you, and I want you to remember, when he does so, how Jesus did, and what you should do."

"Mayn't I tell him he is a naughty boy?" asked Susy. "Mayn't I tell him he has telled a lie?"

"Would Jesus love you when you were doing so, my dear Susy? No, be careful not to say one word that you would not like Jesus to hear. And pray for that poor boy that G.o.d would pity him for being so naughty, and forgive him, and help him to grow good."

CHAPTER IV.

Early the next morning Thomas's mamma began to pack her trunks in order to go away, for she felt quite vexed with Susy, and with her mamma.

While she was busy in this way, Thomas was quite as busy in eating some dainties that she had placed on the floor while she made room for them in the trunk. Thomas knew they were to be carried to his aunt, who was sick.

By and by his mother turned round, and seeing him eating, she said to him:

"Thomas! what are you about? I hope you have not touched any of those things I got for your aunt? Let me see, one, two, three; there ought to be four boxes of jelly. Come here and let me look at your hands. Come this minute, you naughty boy, you."

"I didn't eat a bit," said Thomas, "I only just made a little hole in one side, and ate what came out on a pin."

"Where is the box?"

"I don't know. There were only three boxes."

"Yes there were four boxes. And you've eaten one of them. I never saw such a boy! Well, I shall not buy you the present I promised you yesterday. To think of your eating your aunt's jelly!"

"I didn't eat it," said Thomas, in a sulky voice.

"Your face is all covered with it, so don't let me hear another word. I begin now to think you told me a story, yesterday. Come here!"

"What are you going to do?" cried Thomas trying to get away.

"I'm going to see if the lid of my trunk fits to that mark on your face," said his mother. "And if it does, I shall believe Susy spoke the truth after all."

"I _said_ she let the lid fall on me," said Thomas.

"You said no such thing. You said she struck you with a stick."

"I didn't," said Thomas.

"What a wicked, wicked boy you are!" cried his mother. "I see just what you are. If there is such a thing as a rod in this house, I'll whip you with it till you are ashamed of yourself. What do you suppose Susy's mother thought of me yesterday, when I took your part? I only wish your father was here. But I'll whip you, you see if I don't."

On hearing this, Thomas ran to get away; his mother ran after him, and seeing a door half open, Thomas hoped to escape by that means. For this door led to a dark, low closet under the stairs, in which a grown person could not stand upright.

The moment Thomas crept in his mother shut and locked the door.

"There! now I've got you!" she cried, "and there you shall stay on bread and water, the whole day!"

Thomas kicked against the door, and cried, and begged to come out, but in vain.

His mother was as severe on one day as she was fond on another. She kept him shut up till nearly night, when she took him out all covered with cobwebs, gave him a good shaking, and told him to ask Susy's pardon for telling a story about her.

That night when Susy was going to bed, she said to her mamma:

"Thomas and his mother fighted together to-day, and she couldn't whip him he ran away so."

"How came you to know that, Susy?"

"The door was open, and I was going by, and I heard a noise, and so I stopped."

"That was not right, my darling. You must teach your little eyes not to look at things they ought not to see. Didn't you feel, all the time, that it was not quite proper for you to stop and watch in that way?

Always make it a rule never to look at _any_ thing, no matter what, if you have even a little bit of a feeling that you ought not. Your eyes are your own, and you must teach them."

"I will, mamma," said Susy. "And I am glad I've got you for a mamma. I'm glad Thomas's mamma isn't mine. She didn't pray to G.o.d to make him good; she fighted with him."

CHAPTER V.

About this time Susy began to learn to read. At first, though she wanted to be able to read, she did not like the trouble, and would make all sorts of excuses when her mamma called her to come to her lesson.

Sometimes she said she was too tired. Sometimes she said Robbie couldn't spare her.

Once she said her eyes ached, and when her mamma still would have her read, she wanted some body to come and hold her book for her because it was so heavy! But she was learning to read, very fast, and also to make letters on her slate, like those in the book. She was very happy indeed when one day, after working quite hard, she was able to send her papa a little letter that she had printed with a pen. All the letter had in it, was this, "I love you, dear papa!" but it gave him a great deal of pleasure, and I dare say he has put it away among his treasures, and will keep it as long as he lives.

If you want to please _your_ papa, you might print such a letter, for him. It might tire your little hands, but you would not mind that, if papa should kiss you, and say you had sent him a sweet little letter; you would only be thankful you had two hands with which to do something to gratify him.

Susy's mamma was sick, in bed, soon after this, and I could not begin to tell you how useful this dear child now found every one of her little servants. Before this, when she went to bed, she used to leave her clothes on the floor, for some body to pick up. But now she folded them neatly and put them by the side of her bed, so as to dress herself in the morning. She tried to be as still as a mouse, when in her mamma's room, and no matter in how low and feeble a voice she was asked to get something that was wanted she always heard, and always went quickly and without noise. Sometimes, with her little soft hands, she patted her mamma's cheek till she fell asleep. Sometimes she sang hymns. Sometimes she would try to comfort her mamma by saying: "I guess you will get better by and by!" or, "If you do not get well, dear mamma I p'omise you I will take care of poor papa, and never will let him go anywhere alone." She learned to give the medicine, and to shake up the pillows, and to do a great many other kind and loving things, even though she was yet so small that she had to climb into a chair to reach every thing from the shelf or the bureau. And don't you suppose her mamma, lying now so helpless on her bed, felt paid for all she had done for little Susy? For all the time she had kept her awake, all the fatigue, all the trouble? Yes, indeed! And have you ever paid your mamma for all she did for you when you lay, a weak, helpless baby, with hands that couldn't hold any thing, and feet that couldn't walk, and a tongue that couldn't speak? If not, why, begin now. Pat your mamma's face with the little hand she has taught so much; tell her you love her, with that tongue whose first word it learned from her lips; run for her on those little feet she has so long kept out of danger. If she has the baby in her arms, and is going to carry it about the room looking for what she wants, ask her to sit down and let you find it, for her. Let your little servants know that you shan't think much of them if they do not wait upon or in some way be useful to your mamma, your papa, your brother, your sister, and they shall not lose their reward!

CHAPTER VI.

"How many miles a day do you walk?" Nurse asked Robbie. "Do you know?"

Robbie smiled, and stood still for a minute, to think, but soon ran away again.